United Nations Global Compact Launches ‘SDG Ambition’ Impact Initiative Aiming To Scale Up Business Action At The National Level

February 18, 2020

United Nations Global Compact Launches ‘SDG Ambition’ Impact Initiative Aiming To Scale Up Business Action At The National Level

SDG Ambition provides outcome-oriented approach, aligned to the needs of companies aiming to become sustainable enterprises.

The United Nations Global Compact has launched SDG Ambition — a global impact initiative aimed at challenging and supporting companies to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into their core business.

“The business community is not moving at the speed or scale needed to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. The Goals will not become a reality without greater ambition as well as deeper integration within companies everywhere. We hope that SDG Ambition will establish a new normal for the global business community that is both bolder and more strategic in efforts to achieve the world we want,” said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

SDG Ambition was launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — the UN Global Compact’s Board Chair — in Davos during the World Economic Forum. The initiative, supported by SAP and Accenture, will provide organizations with the management framework to help them incorporate sustainability and the SDGs into their business operations and to measure and manage their performance.

“SAP shares a joint vision with the UN Global Compact and Accenture to mobilize industry around SDG Ambition and scale impact for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” said Jennifer Morgan, co-CEO of SAP. “By inspiring our global ecosystems and bringing together our respective areas of expertise, we can empower businesses around the world to use ‘technology for good’ and provide the necessary tools to accelerate achieving the world’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

According to recent research by Accenture and the UN Global Compact, just 21% of CEOs believe business is playing a critical role in contributing to SDGs.

“The time for increased commitment and action is now, and SDG Ambition is a bold and practical response to this timely and urgent call to action,” said Julie Sweet, Accenture’s chief executive officer. “We are proud to stand with the UN and SAP as partners in unleashing the massive potential for innovation and disruptive technology to help address and solve critical issues at speed and scale across the globe.”

The UN Global Compact Local Networks, located in more than 60 countries, will lead the initiative’s implementation. SDG Ambition aims to engage more than 1,000 companies across industries in more than 40 countries to focus their sustainability efforts on high-impact strategies and business models.